The Story: A 37-year-old East Point man has been charged with a string of catalytic converter thefts in Forsyth County. During the past few months, Forsyth County and neighboring agencies have received reports of catalytic converters being stolen from vehicles. Caught In The Act: According to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department, a deputy was conducting […]
Posted inFood
Reclaiming Georgia’s forgotten apples
The names tick off like racehorses or colors from some fancy catalog: Carolina Red June, Duchess of Oldenburg, Hewe’s Crab and Rabun Bald, Limbertwig and Nickajack and Parks’ Pippin, and many more. But these aren’t paint chips — they’re apples, hundreds of varieties that thrived in orchards across North Georgia a century ago, before an […]
Posted inLocal
What happened to the benches on Tybee Island’s beach crossovers?
Residents and visitors to Tybee Island may have noticed that some of the benches built into beach crossovers have gone missing. The city recently shed some light on the missing benches, and unfortunately, they will not be back. As the city rebuilds the crossovers they must conform with environmental and construction regulations. At many of […]
Posted inYour Government
Georgia lawmakers strike down pay increases for themselves
The Georgia Senate has struck down a measure aimed at hiking salaries for members of the General Assembly as well as several other top state officials. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Valencia Seay, D-Riverdale, proposed raising salaries for Georgia elected officials including the lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state school superintendent, and the […]
Posted inMissing
A 77-year-old Atlanta man with dementia who was missing has been found
Update: According to the Atlanta Police Department, Rufus Hammond has been located in good health and no criminal activity is involved. The original story is below. The Atlanta Police Department is asking for your help finding 77-year-old Rufus Hammond. According to police, Hammond suffers from dementia and was last seen at 599 South Evelyn Place […]
Posted inCrime
Georgia Congressman introduces bill to ‘de-militarize’ police
A Georgia Congressman has introduced a bill that aims to get military-grade weapons and equipment out of the hands of local law enforcement agencies. Today, Rep. Hank Johnson, a Democrat who represents Georgia’s 4th Congressional District, re-introduced the bipartisan Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2021 that would place restrictions and transparency measures on the “1033 program,” […]
Posted inSunrise Report
The Sunrise Report: New laws start to take shape
Good morning, Georgia! State lawmakers passed a flurry of bills yesterday in one of the two busiest days of the legislative session. Yesterday was known as Crossover Day, the last day a bill can be voted on in one chamber to cross over to the other chamber — it is also a day that gives […]
Posted inCrime
Georgia is one step closer to eliminating the citizen’s arrest law
Legislation to overhaul Georgia’s Civil War-era citizen’s arrest law inspired by the murder of Ahmaud Arbery last year passed the state House of Representatives unanimously on Monday. House Bill 479, which now heads to the Georgia Senate, is a follow-up to the hate-crimes law the General Assembly passed last June in the aftermath of the […]
Posted inCrime
Georgia may start prosecuting 17-year-olds as juveniles instead of adults
The Georgia House of Representatives has passed House Bill 272, sponsored by House Juvenile Justice Chairwoman Rep. Mandi Ballinger. This bill, which is now headed to the Georgia Senate, seeks to bring the majority of 17-year-old alleged offenders under the purview of juvenile court — a policy change long sought by juvenile justice reform advocates, legislators, parents and, […]